The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of “What Happened, Miss Simone?” at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.
Directed by Liz Garbus, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” is the 2015 biographical documentary about Nina Simone, a classically trained pianist, dive-bar chanteuse and black power icon dubbed the “High Priestess of Soul,” according to information at ninasimone.com.
The documentary incorporates previously unreleased audio recordings by Simone spanning three decades, plus rare archival footage and the artist’s most famous songs. “What Happened, Miss Simone?” draws on more than 100 hours of recordings, telling her story largely in her own words, along with excerpts from her diaries and letters as well as interviews with Simone’s daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, friends and collaborators, according to the website.
This screening is part of the School of Art’s monthly First Friday Film Series and is sponsored in part by the Nacogdoches Film Festival, William Arscott, The Liberty Bell, Nacogdoches Junior Forum, Karon Gillespie, Mike Mollot, Main Street Nacogdoches, David Kulhavy, John and Kristen Heath, Brad Maule, Galleria Z, Jill Carrington, Jean Stephens and Jim and Mary Neal.
The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.
